COATSVILLE, PA, Feb. 27, 2006 – You only stumble when you’re moving. When stumbles result in tragedies requiring medical airlifts, Sky FlightCare is on the job with their MD Explorer®. With safety at the core of every aspect of its operation, air ambulance helicopter operator, Sky FlightCare of Coatsville, PA, has achieved an enviable track record over 23 years with in excess of 15,000 flights accident-free.

“The Chinese character for crisis signifies both challenge and opportunity,” says MD Helicopters’ Chairman Lynn Tilton. Tilton, who is also at the helm of 67 other companies, pledges that “The MD Helicopters alliance with Sky FlightCare indelibly imprints this maxim every time another patient is safely airlifted to a hospital.”

The Company has flown just over 10,000 patient flights and 5,000 to 7,000 additional non-patient flights since it began operations in 1983 – all accident free. In addition to providing pre-hospital trauma care, Sky FlightCare assists local law enforcement agencies with search operations and transports medical supplies and equipment and transplant organs between hospitals in the region.

“In an industry known for its potentially high risk operations, this is a remarkable achievement,” said David Oglesbee, Vice President of Sales for MD Helicopters. “Air ambulance operators frequently are called upon to provide life-saving care in weather conditions including heavy rain, fog, high winds and snow, which makes adherence to safety even more important. “Sky FlightCare has continued, year after year, with its focus on safe operations and on saving lives,” Oglesbee said.

Sky FlightCare operates an MD Explorer® helicopter from its home base in Coatsville serving rural communities in southeastern Pennsylvania. It will take delivery of a new MD Explorer later this year.

Nelson McCall, Sky FlightCare’s veteran chief flight nurse, said, “This is the most safety conscious organization I’ve ever been involved with. We do everything possible to provide air medical service, but never violate our own rigid standards for safety.”

The Company operates each flight with a pilot, a flight nurse and a flight paramedic. Four full-time and two part-time pilots take care of the flying, supported by medical personnel and a 24-hour communications center in Coatsville.

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About MD Helicopters:
MD Helicopters is a leading manufacturer of commercial and military helicopters. The MDHI family of rotorcraft is world renowned for their value, versatility and performance. The MD Helicopters family includes the twin-engine MD Explorer®, and single engine versions of the MD 600N®, MD 520N®, MD 500E® and MD 530F®. The NOTAR® system for anti-torque control is the exclusive property of MD Helicopters. The Company is based in Mesa, Arizona.

About Patriarch Partners, LLC
Patriarch Partners, LLC is an investment firm in New York and Charlotte, North Carolina which together with its affiliates, provides portfolio management services and serves as investment advisor to multiple leveraged funds and a private equity fund. Founded in 2000 by Lynn Tilton, Patriarch provides innovative financial solutions, strategic direction and operational expertise to companies undergoing periods of pervasive change. Patriarch currently monitors credit facilities in respect to approximately $5 billion dollars of assets under its management, including  equity positions (majority and minority) in more than 65 companies. Lynn Tilton serves as Chairman of the Board of MDHI. Funds managed by Patriarch Partners own a majority and controlling interest in MDHI.

Contact: Kris Brown
MD Helicopters, Inc.
(480) 346-6254
kris.brown@mdhelicopters.com